HOUSTON – After returning from a nine-month layoff on short notice to defeat Matt Hughes at this past month’s UFC 135 event, perennial welterweight contender Josh Koscheck (16-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) is currently awaiting his next assignment.

And while UFC president Dana White has made it clear a coveted spot on November’s UFC 139 card isn’t going to happen, Koscheck says he’d like to return near the end of the year.

But whether or not that appearance comes at 170 or 185 pounds remains to be seen. Koscheck, a 19-time UFC veteran, said he’s got a new perspective on fighting.

“I’m 33 (years old). I’ve been fighting for a long time now. I just want big fights. I’ll fight anybody at 185 or 170. I don’t care. I just want big fights, big names.”

Koscheck began teasing a possible move to the middleweight division prior to the fight with Hughes. When an opportunity came on short notice to fight the UFC Hall of Famer, Koscheck instead fought again at 170 pounds. But that doesn’t mean things can’t change.

You see, after a broken orbital forced Koscheck to undergo corrective surgery – and after a numbing sensation remained for several months – the veteran of “The Ultimate Fighter 1″ feared he may never again compete in the octagon.

“In December of last year, I didn’t think I would really ever fight again because of the eye injury,” Koscheck said. “I wasn’t sure. There was some uncertainty.

“I had an opportunity to rehab it and get on the right meds to get the numbness to subside. But it was just a lot of pressure dealing with that injury, to build up to getting back into training and getting back in there and fighting. It was more or less a big relief for me.”

It’s not that the former collegiate wrestling champion had lost the will to compete. It was simply a fear that his body may never heal fully enough to pass doctors’ inspections.

“There were some concerns, definitely,” Koscheck said. “When you have the type of injury that I had, there’s obviously concerns. You have to pass the medicals.

“It was more of being able to pass the medicals for me. Obviously, in my mind, I’m a fighter. I’m going to fight, regardless.”

But Koscheck received that clearance, and despite some admitted concern the first time Hughes hit him clean in the eye, the American Kickboxing Academy product walked away with a first-round TKO win.

Koscheck said he’s been relaxing since the win and expects to get back in the gym on Monday. He had hoped for a spot on UFC 139, which takes place in his backyard of San Jose, Calif., but White let him know that wouldn’t happen – sort of.

Instead of flat out saying, “No,” White said if Koscheck was willing to fight his teammate, Jon Fitch – a clear no-no at the AKA camp – he’d consider it.

“That’s his way of saying, ‘No way,'” Koscheck said. “He knows.”

Koscheck, who has just one fight left on his UFC contract, is currently negotiating a new deal with the promotion. When that’s complete, he’ll receive his next assignment, which he hopes will be in December or January.

Who he’ll meet is anybody’s guess. After all, when you’re fighting in the UFC’s “moneyweight” division, the sky is the limit.

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